Through the Looking Glass
by Yumyum47
Summary: Alison Brody finds herself dodging many bullets and escaping many traps in her constant quest to rescue her family and friends from the ever persistent drug-lord Vaas. However, as this tale progresses we will find Alison trapped within the webs of a plot much more devious than before. Will she pursue the life of a warrior or fall pray to the ways of insanity and madness.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**A/N - **_I apologize for having to re-upload this, but I have no idea what happened previously. I am still new to posting to this site, and am still unsure at how many things are dealt with. All of the character within this story are copyrighted by Ubisoft. Alison Brody, however is loosely based off of Jason Brodys' charactes, so some parts of her backstory and personality are of both Ubisoft and of my own creation._

_Thank you, and hope to see you at the end._

* * *

Alison awoke to a sharp, pulsating ache between her temples. Her hands; bound tightly above her head, throbbed dully against her weak struggle... _They must have went numb hours ago_.

Her eyes opened weakly – blurry at first – but adapted sluggishly to the brightness of the base surrounding her. However, they were rudely greeted by the flashing light of a small screen – her cellphone screen – and the soft reverberation of a voice somewhere beyond her current state-of-mind.

"Must be nice, right? Falling through the sky like that?... Bet it made you feel pretty invincible, huh?"

Alison followed the screen lazily as it dipped and swooped slowly in and out of her vision. The light vanished suddenly through the bars of the makeshift bamboo cage she was bound against, followed momentarily afterward by a soft chuckle.

"I like this phone... This is a nice fucking phone. All these features and what-do-you-call-them, apps? Very nice... Very expensive, I like that."

Up until this point, Alison's dizziness kept her from fully comprehending what was happening and who was speaking to her outside of her prison. But with her vision slowly returning back to normal, the reality of her predicament became clearer as well. She cried loudly into the gag wrapped tightly around her face, catching glimpses of more bamboo cages identical to the one she was trapped within. Some were empty and some held prisoners who were tied tightly against their bars. Heavily armed men walked in and out of her peripheral vision, babbling incoherently while some laughed crudely to one another. Worst of all people hung listlessly from their heels, their throats cut as blood coagulate in thick, sticky pools beneath them. Alison retched repeatedly into her cloth gag, trying desperately to control the bile that rose threateningly in the back of her throat. She steadied her nerves quickly while the man continued to talk from his crouched position; seemingly unperturbed from her sudden outburst.

He chuckled, "I love these photos though. That's you, right?"

She gaped at the semi-nude photos of herself. '_I thought I deleted those_!' she thought... Apparently this was the reaction he was looking for. He laughed once again removing the phone through the bars and – much to Alison's embarrassment – continued observing her cellphone screen, lazily flipping from one image to the next.

"Wow. You're really photogenic. Bet that comes in handy in L.A, huh Hollywood girl... Big brother Grant know about these pictures? Huh?"

The man must have been expecting Alison to answer this redundant statement from the way he peered questioningly back at her; holding up her cellphone for emphasis. Suddenly she was stuck from the absence of her brothers and friends. '_Grant_. _Where's Gran_t? _And Riley_? _And the others_?' She only had a moment to dwell upon these thoughts before the man slammed his clenched fist into the bars of her prison; causing a sharp echo to travel throughout her small enclosure.

"I asked you," the man kneeling before her started; his once impish grin vanishing into a look of intense scrutiny, "... a question. And I think its very-fucking-rude," he said this all in one breath, " to not answer someone... Especially when that someone holds your fucking life in their hands."

"It's alright though, Alison." He spoke again, the malicious smile now returning to his scarred face. "Cause I'm gonna keep this phone, and I'm gonna keep these pictures... I'm gonna lock them away," here he made a clicking noise with his tongue while pointing his index finger to the temple of his shaved head, "up here, so I can remember the way you were before coming to my island."

Suddenly he rose to his feet and began pacing the exterior of her cage, flipping through what appeared to be small index card-sized papers. Alison watched intently as tears began pooling around the corners of her eyes. The man stopped at one card in particular, returning to the same spot he was in originally.

"Alison Brody... Were are you from? Los Angelas California? Well I hope your mom and pa really love you, cause you and your brothers all look really expensive..."

Alison could hear him shuffling through the IDs once more before the muffled grunts of another prisoner caught his attention.

"Shut up." He snapped in response while looking over his shoulder. Alison followed his gaze towards the awakening figure of a small man who was also bound and gagged within a cage. "We're in the middle of an important conversation here."

The man however continued to speak against his restraints, causing their captor to avert his attention angrily.

"I'm sorry what did you say?... I said shut the fuck up. Or I'll kill you the same way I did your family." He turned his attention back to Alison, crouching back down to eye level.

"What's the matter, Alison? Why aren't you laughing like you were up there with your friends? Am I not funny? Have I failed to entertain you?... See, the thing is, up there you thought you had it all. Way up in the fucking sky you thought you had your finger on the pussy trigger." He emphasized this by making a crude gesture with his middle and fourth finger before scooping up a handful of dirt. "But Chica, down here," he finished as the last bits of dirt cascaded slowly to the ground, his grin stretching across his face. "...You hit the ground."

Alison could no longer hold her composure. She lowered her head and cried into her gag. The tears – she tried in vain to keep from shedding – rolled down dramatically against her swollen and bruised cheeks. The quiet shushing from behind the bamboo bars forced her to look upwards as her captor made to wipe the tears from her cheek. She recoil slightly from his abrasive attempts towards soothing her, before her face was cradled tightly within his grasp forcing her to stare resentfully into his eyes.

"It's okay, Alison. We're gonna have a lot of fun, I promise."

He finally let go of her face, dropping his gaze to the ground thoughtfully. "I'm in the business of people you know. Kidnapping, buying, selling, trading... Good money. But I've been thinking lately," rising suddenly to his feet before he started his restless pacing once more, "... What's in it for me besides money? Huh? What the fuck do I get out of all this?" He shouted before returning to Alison's side, her face once again being clenched within his fist. This time however, Alison found herself no longer looking into the face of a man whose only purpose was to intimidate her. Instead, the man looked as if he had found a newer, more deviant purpose. One he had only just recently become settled upon as he glared intently back from behind the cage.

"But I'm gonna take what belongs to me... I'm gonna take _my_ toys, and I'm going to play with them..." His eye contact was palpable. His focus gleaming with malicious excitement. Never once did he blink or break his concentration. A characteristic Alison would not soon forget.

Another man spoke somewhere from the outskirts of the prison, alerting Alison's captor; who's name she now knew to be Vaas, to "stop scaring the hostages" and that "he had to take care of rejects" somewhere else within the camp.

Almost reluctantly the man – Vaas – rose to his feet while stating quietly in a amused sort of way, "This place would fall apart without me".

Alison watched his departure, leaving behind a guard who stationed himself a few feet from her cage. She thought adamantly to herself about how she was going to get out of her new prison safely, as well as finding her brothers and friends. She didn't have long to lament upon these thoughts before the figure of her older brother Grant caught her attention suddenly. He crouched quietly behind the guard who seemed not at all alert to his presence.

Alison's eyes sparked with restored faith while Grant made a quick hand gesture, silencing any forms of recognition she might express. She knew enough of her older brother to listen to any order he gave, and; given her current situation, she was far from changing it any time soon. The guard remained unaware of Grant's presence and busied himself with the state of his weapon. Grant motioned towards the guard then pointed to Alison's cage, mouthing something along the lines of '_get his attention_'.

Stumped at how she was meant to get the guard's attention; being gagged and bound to a cage really limits your conversational skills, Alison did the only thing that came to mind. She screamed... The guard – now alert to her struggle – walked quickly to the door of her cage shouting in a heavily accented voice.

"What the hells' wrong with you? Shut the fuck up." But before the guard had time to finish, his head was crushed against the strong bamboo bars of Alison's cage. The guard dropped to the ground lifelessly as Grant shoved his body to the side while unlocking the cage door with a key he must have found on the guards' person. Unbinding her hands from the cage he removed the gag from Alison's mouth, beginning a thorough examination of her wounds. As he was looking her over he was asking her "Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?". Alison stared – awestruck – from him to the apparently dead guard on the ground.

Massaging the soreness from her wrists she stammered, "Oh my God. Is he dead? Did you kill him?".

"That is what they teach you in the Army." He retorted slyly before exiting the cage, motioning for his sister to follow.

As she stumbled forward slightly – the blood rushing to her newly resurrected limbs – she crouched low to the ground, apprehensively following her brother. Her attempt at keeping her eyes planted firmly upon Grant's back was shortly lived when the pair found themselves face-to-face with the hanging men from before. Her first reaction of their corpses only paled in comparison to her second glance, and it was here that Grant turned –grabbing her shoulders tightly – in a attempt to pull his sister back from her sudden outburst.

"Oh my God, Grant! These people, their all dead... Grant their dead, and they smell so bad!"

"Allie. Alison listen to me. I know what you're going through, and I know you're scared. But right now it's just you and me. And I'm gonna need you to pull it together. For Rileys' sake... And the others'." He finished by shaking her roughly, snapping her from her panicked sobbing. As a child, she had always gone to her big brother Grant whenever she had a problem. Whenever she was picked on or bullied in school, whenever she was to afraid of the dark to sleep alone or whenever their parents would get into heated and physical arguments, he was always there. And whenever she was unsure and in need of strong guidance, Grant was there to hold her hand and walk her through all of lives problems.

She nodded her head slowly as she wiped the tears from her eyes, saying in a trembling voice, "Okay, I'm sorry."

Grant smiled in response and the two of them made their slow trek through the camps' interior. Every so often the two were forced duck behind piles of suitcases and crates to hide from either an armed man or a guard dog. Alison had to keep from thinking to heavily upon the endless amount of suitcases stacked high in piles everywhere they crept; reminding her of a tragic scene she witnessed in a movie involving the plight of the Jewish during the Holocaust.

"Grant, there's gotta be thousands of these suitcases..." She whispered quietly as she ran her hand over the pleathered skin of one in particular. Grant shushed her suddenly while he eyed a group of guards sitting around a table.

"Don't worry about that right now. We need to get past these guards."

Slowly, they made their way past the group without being noticed. A gun shot ripped through the air loudly causing Alison to shout into her cuffed hand. Grant turned on his heels in response, calming her for the umpteenth time. Inhaling and exhaling deeply, he motioned for Alison to do the same. "Breath Allie, breath. We got this, alright? Just keep your eyes on me and we'll get out of here."

Like before, Alison tried to keep her attention focused on Grant, protecting what little remained of her resolve. All she had to do was keep her eyes focused straight ahead and concentrate on moving forward without being seen and they'd make it out. She had to ignore the smells, the shouts, the gun shots... As well as the screams and cries and pleas for mercy from other less fortunate prisoners...

She found short-lived relief when they found shelter within another shack like building. It – like a majority of the rest of the camp – was packed with suitcase upon suitcase as well as drugs and other relatively illegal paraphernalia. Through Grants instructions, Alison quickly grabbed the items left atop a cramped table top. Folding the map – quickly placing it within her pocket – she was motioned by Grant to follow him and to remain hidden. The clucking of chickens first alerted her to the presence of a guard leaning nonchalantly against a wall. Hiding behind a well of some kind, Alison whispered "How are we gonna get past him?"

Grant paused for a moment before pointing to a wall far from the guard's position, instructing Alison to throw a rock in it's direction. Throwing the rock as far as she could, the sharp 'ping' from its' contact with the fence forced the guard away from his post; making to inspect the noise.

Climbing through the window left unattended by the guard, Alison barley had time to find her footing before another – apparently sleeping – guard rushed to his feet, shouting out from her sudden appearance. Before Alison could react, the guard was holding his neck as blood drenched the front of his shirt, while a knife hung gruesomely from his throat . Without giving a moments thought, Grant wretched the knife he had thrown from the guards wound and turned to Alison.

"You okay, sis?" He questioned.

"Yeah... I think I'll be okay."

* * *

Alison unfolded the map and between Grant and herself, the two planned out their next course of action. Turning to her brother Alison asked "Where are we?"

Ignoring her question Grant responded; more-so to himself, "Should have never made that jump alone, Alison... I promised dad I'd take care of you two."

Alison responded by placing a reassuring hand upon his back, smiling apologetically. "Does it say where Riley is?"

"No, but we're gonna find him. Then we're gonna free the others, and then we're going home."

A single gun shot was all Alison heard before the dream-like image of her brother's bleeding figure floated up from beyond the outer most reaches of her mind. As shock set in, she was unaware of her brothers condition and unaware of the voice speaking from beyond her reality. All she could think to do was stop the bleeding, stop her brother's pained gasps for air and stop the tears she was unconsciously weeping.

"_What? Huh? What, you want to run? Huh? You want to run. You want to disrespect me? You want to fuck with me?_"

'_The bullet didn't hit him... He's going to be okay_.' She thought ignorantly, repeating these thoughts over and over within her mind.

"_I mean you come here, with your... With your pretty Hollywood face, right? And your expensive phone and your dimwit brother..._"

"Please, don't die Grant. Don't die! Stay with me, please!" She screamed.

"_And you want to fuck with me? You want to fuck... with me? I like that... No! I respect that._"

Alison cried out loudly while tears fell from her eyes, all-the-while her brother's blood collected dramatically beneath his fallen form; flowing freely despite her frantic attempts at applying pressure to the wound. She watched helplessly as the life drained from his eyes before she was finally left alone to gape at the blood upon her hands. The distant shouts however, brought her comatose mind back down to Earth.

"I'm gonna give you 30 seconds... And if this jungle doesn't eat you up alive, I ... Go!"

Scooting away slightly from her brothers' fallen body, she eyed the man named Vaas with intense fear. Petrified momentarily, she was unsure of what she should do next. Should she listen to him and attempt to escape?

"What the fuck. Are you deaf? I said get the fuck out of here, you stupid bitch!"

Instinct finally forced her to her feet as she quickly left behind her brother's body as well as his killer – who's taunting screams continued to follow her – as she made a mad dash for the thick, green foliage of the wild jungles of Rook island.

* * *

**A/N** -_ Hello again and thank you for making it this far. This story stars a gender swapped Jason Brody; whom I have dubbed Alison more so for theatrics, and is based off of the original Farcry 3 storyline, so many of the character interactions and main plot follow closely as to what unravels within the game. Although I do have this story completed for the most part, I am still going through and fine tuning a majority of it's content. _

_Although I am not going to be a primmadonna and insist upon reader's comments, I would most appreciate some form of feed back. After all there is no room for improvement if advice is not given, and I will most certainly not waste my time posting this if no one cares to read it. So I would appreciate some comments and helpful tip; and please keep them as mild as possible and I will hope to see you all in the near future._

**_P.S_**_- I have made some obvious and well-needed revisions to this chapter._


	2. Pools of Tears

A/N: My apologizes for this taking so long. School has been rather hectic (to say the least)  
All characters belong to Ubisoft, Alison Brody - perhaps - not so much. And please do not jump to any conclusions, thus far in regards to any of the characters future relationships with one another.

* * *

Alison pushed blindly through the darkness and thickets of the jungle. The shouts and gun fire that followed her, were left a faint whisper in the back of her erratic thoughts. Her emotional state was a tumultuous sea of grief as Grant's lifeless eyes continued to resurface – tormenting her relentlessly – regardless of how hard she tried to center her racing thoughts. She paid no attention to her environment as she stumbled over treacherous rocks and thick bushes. The many accumulating cuts and bruises from the dense foliage caused her either no distress, or less than what should have been considered normal.

She made a desperate glance over her shoulder before the lack of concentration sent her tumbling down the steep slope of a hill. Shrieking loudly from the unexpected fall, she grasped at any upturned root or protruding rock she could for support. Coming to an abrupt halt at the bottom of the hills incline, her body landed forcefully upon the ground.

For a few moments she was rendered helpless, her mind stuck briefly within a comatose state. Returning shakily to her feet she moaned slightly, forcing the dizziness from her vision, evaluating her new surroundings. Focusing her mind, she shook off the after effects of the fall. "Breath," she chastised herself, "Breath! I gotta get out of here..."

The bellows from the approaching soldiers forced her back to reality, briefly forgetting her brother's haunting memory. "I gotta find the others."

Now aided by a more heightened sense of self and awareness, Alison pushed forward past thicker, more closely knit trees, past the grunts and snarls of wild animals and past the slowly evaporating memory of her brother Grant.

Ducking through a craggy tunnel cut deep within the sides of a small mountain, the pain she had ignored previously flooded her body, causing her to stagger against the tunnels sharp, rocky interior. Pushing forward through the pain, she made quickly for the exit of the cave, afraid of being attacked within the tunnels' cramped spaces. However, her fears of being ambushed came crashing down upon her as an unknown weight sent her forcefully to her knees.

She fought viciously against her assailants' body, his physical weight subduing her weak struggles. Straddling her flailing body, the man shouted loudly into her face. "I found her. I got her!" Removing a large blade from the pocket of his belt he bent forward and whispered viciously – his hot breath playing dangerously close to Alison's ear. "Boss said not to touch you, but fuck it." Pressing the blade against her throat, the man unbuckled his belt and pants. Alison's eyes widen with the sudden realization of his intentions. Watching her expression closely he slapped her face harshly, forcing the blade deeper against the tender flesh of her neck; hungry anticipation now gleaming dangerously from the dark depths of his eyes. He began working his rough hands against Alison tattered clothes, tearing her shirt slightly above her naval and leaving her midriff naked and exposed.

Snarling like a feral animal Alison sent a well placed kick between the man's legs. His hands made to protect himself instinctually, grunting from the painful blow. Alison acted instantly and with an effort to reclaim her body, ripped the knife from mans' grasp and forced it deep within his clavicle area. Her eyes were ablaze with the thirst for revenge, driving the knife deeper still as the man's shocked expression drained quickly from his dark features. He gave one last gurgling cough, before Alison sliced upwards; causing more of the man's blood to spill around her. For a few seconds she contemplated stabbing the man a third time as the adrenaline from the event still coursed strongly through her veins.

With the shock of everything still playing heavily in the back of her mind, she was given no time or energy to take into consideration the life she had just claimed. Alison turned away and pressed on through the jungle, never once looking back at that pivotal moment that made her a murderer.

* * *

Vaas stood nonchalantly besides a large cage. The tiger – trapped within it's wooden bars – seemed neither interested or aggravated towards his presence. However it paced up and down the interior of the cage, growling intently at the unconscious figure of a man, who's body was bound against the support beams of the makeshift tent above. His body slouched listlessly as blood collected in droplets upon his pants. A disorientated moan escaping his bruised lips as he awoke suddenly.

Vaas circled the man's awakening form like a hungry vulture, ready to swoop down upon him whenever the fight no longer promised to proceed. He kicked his boot heel roughly into the side of the man's head; causing more blood to coat the tattered remnants of his shirt.

"You know I can go on for hours, right amigo? I mean, I already know that you know, that I know, that you have my money." Vaas stated quickly, continuing his methodical pacing before the man. Rubbing a calloused palm over his bleeding knuckles – a token from his victim's current debilitated state – he laughed deviously without removing his eyes from the steady groove he was working into the ground. "So. I'm only gonna ask you this. One. Last. Time." Crouching, Vaas' pinched the man's bleeding nose and twisted his wrist from left to right repeatedly; causing a fresh wave of agonized cries to circulate within the cramped tent. "Were the fuck is my money, man? Were the fuck did you hide it? Huh?" He shouted loudly over the man's continuous pleas for mercy.

Slowly, the man spoke giving a disjointed answer."The port... In Bangkok... The boat man has it."

Vaas patted the man's cheek in mock approval, returning to his feet. "Ah, see! That wasn't so hard, huh? You didn't hold out as long as I thought. You really should play a little harder to get. Shit makes you look to easy, you know."

Scoffing off the man's pathetic cries for mercy Vaas was about to deal the man another heavy blow, before two identically dressed men entered the tent in a state of exhaustion. Shocked by their sudden entrance,Vaas' predatory stance slowly dissolved into immense frustration.

"Hey-hey-hey? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something, here? You wanna fuckin' knock next time?"

"The American. We lost her." One panted in response

"You what? You lost her?" Vaas questioned, his brow furrowing questioningly as disbelief turned gradually into anger.

"She fell into the river. We searched the the banks but there was no sign of her," However, before the man could finish, Vaas interjected loudly while rubbing his temples.

"Let me make this as perfectly-fucking-clear as possible, okay? I give you tranquilizers, men, dogs... Even a fucking helicopter! All out of the goodness of my heart... I mean, how hard is it to catch her? She was right-fucking-there..." He stopped, placing his hand upon the holster of his gun and laughing to himself. "I guess if you really want something done you gotta fucking do it yourself, right?"

Although Vaas was mere inches from putting a bullet between both of their eyes, he couldn't help but silently marvel at Alison's strength. She openly defied him the first time she escaped with that dickhead brother of hers. He should have done whatever he wanted to her – right there besides her brother's dead body – then put a bullet in her skull. But he had something to prove.

"Should we get some men together and scout the nearby villages?"

"No." He responds curtly. "I wanna see how far she can go before getting caught. We still have her friends... She'll fuck up eventually." It was only a matter of time before she would pop her head up again. And when she did, Vaas would be ready for her.

A shout echoed through the tents opening, snapping Vaas back from his contemplative thoughts and signaling that a man named Hoyte wished to speak to him about his current statues with a renegade drug mule. Vaas – having already gotten all the information he need from the aforementioned courier – rose to his feet looking from the man to the continuously circling tiger before him. Motion to his foot soldiers, he stated "Throw him in the cage." before leaving through the tent flap.

He found himself eying Alison's photos hungrily from the phone he kept close at hand. Silently, he memorized ever wrinkle in her smile, ever curve of her figure and every way her doe-eyed gaze would send an unsettling ache below his waist, an ache he felt the need to satisfy at least a dozen times over since her arrive. Was he in love with Alison? Far from it. But he found himself desperate to reclaim the control she had taken from him when she escaped her brother's fate.

* * *

_The setting was a loud night club somewhere in Bangkok. Alison had been flirting foolishly with a heavily tattooed man, now arguing loudly with her brother Grant. The fight that promised to ensue was ended by the intervention of her friends Keith and Vincent, causing the tattooed man to skulk off in the opposite direction. Grant turned eying Alison angrily, his face flushed and his hands shaking from the surge of adrenaline._

"_What the hell are you thinking, Alison? That man was twice your size. I'm so sick of cleaning up after your messes."_

_Alison stammered in response. "I'm sorry Grant. I didn't think he'd take it that far."_

"I'm not going to be around forever to fight your battles, Alison. You need to grow up and stop making such shitty choices in life."

"_Alright, Grant. I'm sorry." _

_Grabbing her shoulders he begged her forcefully. "Promise me Allie, that you'll grow up and make better choices in life. Promise you'll be there for Riley and your friends... You've got to promise you'll be stronger for yourself."_

"_I promise, Grant"_

Alison was only slightly aware of the presence beside her as her eyes adapted sluggishly to the dim light surrounding her. The room – from what she could make out through her hazy state – was small and packed with odd trinkets and totems. Peering into the red face of a strange tribal shrine upon the wall, Alison stammered as the memories of her fall from the bridge and the loud rotating propeller blades of a helicopter muddled her already dizzy mind.

"Where am I? Who the hell are you?" She questioned frantically, forcing herself into a sitting position.

However the figure of the unknown presence by her bedside loomed overhead, pushing her back into a resting position, his dark face smiling in a way to assure that he meant her no harm. The tapping sound – Alison was to busy to hear beforehand – continued as he returned to her side.

"You are awake." He states redundantly. "Well not all of you. The arm has been deadened to allow for the tatau." He indicated towards her arm, releasing it for further inspection; his eyes twinkling admiringly behind thick spectacles upon his face.

Alison's eyes traveled over the fresh ink of the newly etched image upon her arm, shocked at it's sudden appearance. "_Was this permanent_?"

"It is brave to swim in a storm, but to sun bathe on a beach with pirates? Insanity."

Noticing a small dagger upon the bedside table, she reached for it quickly and unintentionally throwing herself to over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. Getting to her feet, she was greeted by the blade of the man's weapon which pointed dangerously close to her face.

"You have the right to take my life, but know, I will also take yours."

She gaped cautiously, not wanting to make any sudden movements that would end her life. The man notices the seriousness within her expression, and dropped his aggressive stance – laughing wholeheartedly – as the uneven smile from before replaced his brief grimace of anger. Offering the combat knife in an effort to cut the tension of the atmosphere, he stated his name, "I am Dennis."

"Alison." She responded nervously, accepting the man's unspoken peace-treaty. Averting her eyes – pretending to inspect the newly acquired knife within her hands – to avoid the awkwardness of the man's lingering gaze.

Dennis then began speaking in an unknown language in regards to the new tattoo upon her arm. "I know who you are, Alison. You are a warrior, and the tatau will allow for you to reveal your true self."

She stared back suspiciously as Dennis helped her to her feet, scoffing slightly, "But I'm a woman."

Unexpectedly however, Dennis laughs at this statement waving his hand for emphasis. "You American's are so quick to dispute anything that is not familiar to you. Your culture would have you kept weak and unsure of your own power. But I see within you, Alison Brody, a woman just as befitting the title of warrior as any man walking this island."

She wore a look of disbelief and unease. Dennis continued his speech despite her suspicious response, instructing her to follow him. "What? You do not believe me? Come then and see for yourself."

"Listen." She stops him suddenly as memories recent events tumbled down upon her. "A man killed my older brother... I have to find my other brother and four other friend's that were taken."

Dennis nods silently, opening the door of the shack to a small village setting.

"So you'll help me?" Alison questions hopefully without noticing anything other than Dennis himself.

"You can only help yourself. Not me. I can show you the way to the Path. The path that will not only save your brother and friends, but awaken you to your true self... I am going to free you, Alison."

Shaking her head hopelessly, Alison finally takes in the village before her. A lit with the joy and laughter of some form of celebration, the villagers danced and shouted drunkenly to one another. "How did I get here?" She asked herself more so than Dennis; who answered regardless.

"I found you on the beach. You were close to death and speaking of promises as well as other things I cannot quite remember. I welcome you now to Amanaki Village."

Villagers were now beginning to accumulate in close proximity of Alison's arrival. Many stared inquisitively in Dennis' direction as if silently questioning Alison's identity.

"It is something, is it not?" Dennis states proudly in regards to Alison's questioning glances around the village.

"I have Alison Brody. The woman who escaped Vaas' camp alive!" Dennis shouted into the crowd of curious on-lookers, causing many to cheer loudly in Alison's favor.

She was unsure of what to make of all this newly acquired fame and attention. Dennis placed a reassuring hand upon her shoulder, directing her attention away from the celebration.

"Your escape is a sign that the battle has turned in our favor. This is good news for both of us, Alison. And our people are in need of good news." With his arm still draped around her shoulder, Dennis began guiding her through the village, showing her everything it had to offer as well as welcoming her into the open and grateful arms of many of Amanaki's villagers.

She stares questioningly at Dennis, "Do these people really think I'm some kind of female warrior?"

Dennis turns nonchalantly, answering her with a searching look. " These people know more of the man that shot your brother than you do. You only know what you have seen with your own eyes, and nothing more. You've escaped, where no others have before. This, Alison is why they cheer your name. Be grateful they are not mourning your death instead." Dennis then briefly stops at a group of young women. He smiles slyly in their direction and chuckles to himself while shaking his head disconcertingly. Removing a large roll of foreign bills from his pockets, he forces it into Alison's hands.

Refusing his generous offer, Alison was in no mood for excepting this foreign mans gratitude as well as neither being in the position of returning the favor any time soon.

Dennis snapped angrily in return. "You wish to save your brother, right. You are going to need this for weapons?"

Up until this point, she was managing her fragile emotional and mental state as best as she could. She was allowed no time to grieve for the lose of her older brother; now a memory she found slow receding into the darkening depths of her mind. Not only was she responsible for rescuing her brother and friends, but now she took part in playing the role of an unwilling savior to these jungle people. Awash in the sea of hopeless doubt, she stumbled back and collapsed against a building; openly crying in front of many disbelieving and shocked expressions.

Dennis forcefully lifted Alison from the ground, pushing her through the door of a cramped building."Listen to me, Alison Brody. You are being watched by many eyes right now. Eyes of friends as well as enemies. I can do little for you if you give up. But know this. The Rakyat entrust very few with their aid and even fewer with the secrets of their ways." He continues, his eyes were speaking volumes of the serious repercussions of her public outburst.

"The island only calls to the strongest of us, and it will destroy all those who cannot adapt fast enough. It called to me as well, Alison. The Rakyat accepted me and made me a member of their tribe. But I fear, if you do not get stronger, the Rakyat will not accept you. You will not be able to save your friends... You will be left to fight alone and the jungle – I fear – will swallow you alive."

Alison slowly realized what she had to do. Remembering the promise she made to the memory of her dead brother, she knew she must now either adapt to the situation or let it destroy her. Although the thought of saving her brother and friends played heavily upon her decision to purchase weapons and ammunition, the idea of revenge is what forced her to pull the trigger upon a red shirted enemy. Forced her to learn to adapt to the jungle and live off the land. And forced the memory of what she had been once before, far away from the slowly building ego and strength of the woman warrior she was being molded into.

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P.S: If you wish to read this chapter (as well as future installments) then please visit my separate account at /users/Yumyum I will be posting any more mature content to that account.

P.P.S: Without giving away any of my future plot, some scenes WILL be a tad more mature ;)


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